11 more Iranian pilgrims kidnapped in Syria

TEHRAN, Feb. 2 (MNA) – An official at the Iranian Embassy in Damascus confirmed on Wednesday news reports saying that 11 more Iranian pilgrims have been abducted in Syria. The official also advised Iranian citizens not to go on bus trips to Syria in view of the political situation in the Arab country. The news agencies reported on Wednesday that 11 Iranian citizens were kidnapped while on a pilgrimage in Syria. Iranians have been the target of abduction by unknown gunmen in Syria over the past few months. On January 26, a group of unidentified gunmen attacked a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims on their way to Damascus and kidnapped 11 men. In December 2011, gunmen also abducted seven Iranian engineers and technicians in the restive Syrian city of Homs. In January, a previously unheard of group, called “movement against the Shiite tide in Syria,” claimed responsibility for the abduction of Iranian engineers and technicians and warned Iran of the consequences of supporting the Syrian government. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called on the Syrian government to protect Iranian citizens in Syria, and the Syrian officials have promised to make every effort to obtain the release of Iranian abductees.